Meet the World’s Biggest ‘Bulletproof’ Hoster

For at least the past decade, a computer crook variously known as “Yalishanda,” “Downlow” and “Stas_vl” has run one of the most popular “bulletproof” Web hosting services catering to a vast array of phishing sites, cybercrime forums and malware download servers. What follows are a series of clues that point to the likely real-life identity of a Russian man who appears responsible for enabling a ridiculous amount of cybercriminal activity on the Internet today. Continue reading Meet the World’s Biggest ‘Bulletproof’ Hoster

Ukrainian accused in cybercrime wave is considering trial in U.S., lawyer says

A lawyer for an alleged player in one of the largest hacking schemes in history says he is talking with the Department of Justice about the possibility of bringing his client to the U.S. to stand trial. Mikhail Rytikov can’t leave his home country of Ukraine because he would risk becoming the latest Eastern European snatched up by Western law enforcement and charged in cybercrimes. The 30-year-old, who lives in Odessa on the coast of the Black Sea, allegedly participated in criminal schemes by running a profitable “bulletproof hosting” business — servers that police supposedly can’t block or access — known as AbdAllah. Ukraine doesn’t extradite its own citizens, so Rytikov is theoretically safe as long as he stays close to home. But he vehemently denies any wrongdoing, and apparently wants to set the record straight. His lawyer in the U.S., Arkady Bukh, told CyberScoop he is negotiating with the Department of Justice about the possibility of standing trial in […]

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Two Russians sentenced to prison for role in hacks against U.S. companies

Two Russian men were sentenced to prison in the United States on Wednesday after they pleaded guilty to their roles in one of the largest hacking schemes to ever hit the U.S. Vladimir Drinkman, 37, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison and Dmitriy Smilianets, 34, to 51 months and 21 days in prison. The pair were arrested in the Netherlands in 2012 and pleaded guilty in 2015. Prosecutors said there were 17 corporate victims, and three of them alone lost more than $300 million combined. As friends in Moscow, Drinkman and Smilianets “targeted major corporate networks, compromised 160 million credit card numbers and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses,” according to the Justice Department. “Drinkman and Smilianets not only stole over 160 million credit card numbers from credit card processors, banks, retailers, and other corporate victims, they also used their bounty to fuel a robust underground market for hacked […]

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